


Little by Little

by haljordae



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 21:19:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13489995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haljordae/pseuds/haljordae
Summary: Kyungsoo is made from millions of beat Jongdae’s heart has skipped. He’s a dream fabricated from every exchange of ‘good morning’ in the hallway, quick glances during lunch break, and small smiles blossoming on his lips whenever their eyes meet. He’s his youth, and with the end of their senior year nearing, Jongdae decides that it’s the time for their life to finally intertwine.





	Little by Little

**Author's Note:**

> The title and plot are both inspired by **_Little by Little_**  by  **Oasis** – this will not be as angsty as the song, but it has always been affecting me emotionally for how contemplative the lyrics are. Besides, this will have something to do with Jongdae's character development.
> 
>  **Disclaimer**  
>  Aside from the characters I absolute do not own, this story is a product of my own imagination. Similarities with other works are purely unintentional.
> 
> Thanks to **_lolthefudge_** from [**_Jongdae's cheekbone ♡_**](http://www.asianfanfics.com/profile/view/1559319) for this story cover (you can contact her if you'd like one for your story too!)  
> 

 

**_i_ ** **.**

**_There was no way Jongdae_** would mistake the voice he heard from the inside of student council room for someone else’s. His eyes drifted towards the wall clock, it silently told him that it was only almost 7 in the morning. _He’s early_ , Jongdae mused, shooting his eyebrows upwards. _Too early_.

Junmyeon’s voice soon followed, answering the greeting with another ‘good morning’, and the two were soon engaged in a polite yet friendly conversation about the upcoming field trip. Jongdae took his time to collect his stuffs from the table, yet the male didn’t dilly-dally either; when he slid the door open and stepped out, two figures were still standing in front of the room.

“Joon,” Jongdae fixed the position of the bag strap on his left shoulder. His stare found the taller boy he had known since middle school at once, although he still managed to steal a fleeting look at the pair of onyx eyes that belonged to the boy standing in front of Junmyeon. “I’ve fixed the sheets, but you probably still need to give the figures a second check.”

The president of student council, straightening his back to fix his posture, beamed sincerely. “Thanks, Dae.” Jongdae stepped aside, making way for Junmyeon as the latter returned to the room. “What can I do without you, huh?”

“Well,” carding his fingers across his bronze colored hair, a waft of chuckle grazed Jongdae’s lips. His eyes fell to the floor and the boy struggled mentally to keep his stare glued to the dull gray tile instead of surrendering to the force of gravity hidden inside the dark pools of _his_ eyes. “If only the council’s treasurer were the one qualified for the job and never messed up with his works, you’d have done well without me.”

Junmyeon said nothing to reply and Jongdae’s best guess was that his best friend was already too engrossed in the rows and columns of numbers displayed on the laptop screen. And the silence stretched, untainted by any noise aside from the waves of thoughts crashing the walls inside the cave of Jongdae’s mind. Something stirred him from his reverie, and the words rolling from the tip of his tongue broke the silence – they were a little longer than his usual greeting, a murmur of, “You’re early today, Kyungsoo,” that escaped his lips along with a huff of air.

Kyungsoo’s large eyes widened slightly and Jongdae might have seen a spark of amusement on the dark surface. The lips looked fuller as the latter viewed it from this distance, the corners are tugged upwards once a small genial smile bloomed – Jongdae knew how useless it was to fight the urge to smile back. “That’s a weird way to say ‘good morning’, Jongdae.”

“Really? I thought a little variation didn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“I didn’t said that it was a _bad_ idea, though,” Kyungsoo’s voice trembled slightly for the pleasant timbre that came along with a small snicker. The boy’s eyes found Jongdae once again; with the same arch on his lips, Kyungsoo was fully unaware of the fact that his small gesture was the sole cause of one missing heartbeat from Jongdae’s chest right there. “Morning, Jongdae.”

The sound of Kyungsoo’s footsteps faded, but his presence still lingered along with the subtle scent of lemon that filled Jongdae’s lungs. Only when the trail had completely vanished into thin air did a whisper brush Jongdae’s lips, a late answer of, “Have a nice day, Kyungsoo.”

 

—

 

Ever since his senior year in high school started, Junmyeon was no longer a constant companion during lunch break. This was usually not a problem for Jongdae at all since the new academic year always started with a pile of works and events to organize, especially with the freshmen the seniors – according to Principal Lee’s speech every spring – had to bond with in the annual spring field trip. But being the president of course also meant more responsibilities to handle, and the amount of works were obviously more than what Junmyeon’s role as a secretary had required from him last year.

And that was how Jongdae found himself ditched by Junmyeon once again – the latter left him with Chanyeol and Baekhyun, the boys from class 12-C, to follow Seulgi, his vice president. The girl didn’t explain what the matter was, but Jongdae already knew by heart that he’d find out later anyway because, well, it was _Kim Junmyeon_ , after all.

The ray of sunlight entered through the glass window on Jongdae’s left, the warmth graced a quarter of his desk and casted a golden glow once it kissed the wooden surface. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were still chatting about their favorite online game Jongdae didn’t quite understand, their voices soon melded into the noise surrounding them. Absently, Jongdae’s eyes drifted towards the empty yard that made up the school’s façade, thinking that the open space would look a lot better if only there were more green plants to freshen up the plain landscape. But he already knew what kind of answer to hear from the school board if he ever submitted his suggestion form, so the boy never bothered to give it a try.

A friendly slap on his back roused him from his own thoughts; when Jongdae turned, he found Chanyeol’s wide grin welcome him back to the real world. Jongdae put the last bite of the coffee bread into his mouth, mumbling, “Hmm?”

Chanyeol, who still towered him even when they were sitting together, tilted his head. “Baek asked if you’d like to come to Minseok’s party this weekend too.”

Jongdae shook his head and leaned his back to the chair, slouching with his legs stretched. “I think I won’t come.”

“Come on, Dae,” whined Baekhyun with his mouth full of food. “We only have about six months left to have fun before the real stressful months finally start with all of those exams and stuffs.” But Jongdae’s indifferent look on the face was the only answer he got, and it pushed another sigh from the brunet. “I can completely understand if you were Junmyeon, Dae. But you’re not a student president, which is clear enough to see, nor are you a member of the council. You don’t go to any academy after school. You have no part-time job, unless helping Junmyeon with all his errands is considered one. In conclusion, you’ve got as much spare time as we do.”

“So?” Jongdae raised his eyebrows while downing the water, emptying the bottle from its content.

“I don’t see any reason why you should reject the invitation. Besides, I’m sure Minseok will personally invite you sooner or later, knowing well for how much he’s been crushing on you.” A grin stretched across Baekhyun’s face, an exact copy of the same one found on Chanyeol’s. They shared the same knowing look, wiggling their brows in a familiar mischievous way.

Chanyeol wiped the chocolate milk smearing his lips with the back of his hand. “I bet he’ll ask you once the school ends today. This semester’s his last chance to finally ask you out, after all.”

A scoff escaped from Jongdae upon the remark. “Don’t be silly, Yeol. Just because we’ll no longer be high school students next spring, it doesn’t mean every opportunity is our last shot in life, right?”

“Nuh-uh-uh,” flashing his forefinger in front of Jongdae’s face, Baekhyun moved it in a kind of sass distinct only to the brunet. “That’s where you’re wrong, Kim Jongdae. High school never ends, remember? And this semester, this very last semester before the ground cracks open and Hell finally emerges before our eyes, is everyone’s last chance to conclude our teenage years. You either make it or break it, Dae. Are you going to finally date your high school sweetheart? Or spend the next few years nose-deep in regret for not having enough guts to ask your crush out when you’ve got the chance? But of course I cannot expect you to understand this when chances are you’ve never experienced something quite like crushing on someone.”

But before his brain finished formulating an argument to refute Baekhyun, the bell had rung, notifying the students of the end of their lunch break. Hurriedly, both Chanyeol and Baekhyun fled back to their classroom, dreading the horror from all the scolding they would receive if they dared enter the room even one millisecond late when chemistry was their next period following lunch – according to the legend, their chemistry teacher possessed a psychic ability that allowed him to teleport. Jongdae snickered when he saw the silhouette of said teacher passed by his class even when the bell was still ringing.

Chanyeol’s premonition was proven true when Jongdae was still waiting for Junmyeon outside the student council room. Minseok smiled his familiar crooked smile, the one Jongdae knew had made both boys and girls weak on their knees, the moment their eyes met as the other boy approached him with light spring obvious in every step he took. Just like his other three close friends, Jongdae had known Minseok since middle school; the only exception was that they never were in the same class or share the same social circle. One thing never changed, though: the latter had always been one among the popular kids at school, and it was the very reason why Jongdae could never believe all the talk about Minseok crushing on him – especially when it came from Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s lips.

“Hey,” Minseok beamed. “Thought that you’d be here; I’ve been looking for you.”

“Hey,” Jongdae didn’t bother fixing his posture as he replied the greeting – his back was still leaned against the wall with his ankles crossed and hands inside the front pocket of his blazer. “What’s the occasion?”

“Uhh, so… There’ll be a party this Friday night at my place,” a shade of pink dusted Minseok’s cheeks as the boy spoke in a low voice, yet his stare didn’t waver at all, “And I’d like to, umm, invite you.” And before Jongdae could answer, he quickly added, “Only if you’ve got no other plan or date, of course. Hahaha…”

The awkwardness in Minseok’s forced laughter wasn’t difficult to ignore, a clear hint of his nervousness which made Jongdae ponder rather than uttering his answer. When he opened his mouth, the noise of the door sliding open distracted his attention, and it wasn’t Junmyeon who exited the room – it was Kyungsoo, whose stare immediately landed at Jongdae’s very own, sending him a warm smile spreading across his lips a moment later.

But no words were exchanged between them, as if the only ones they had for each other had always been reserved in the morning only with all of those ‘good morning’s ever since they were freshmen. Kyungsoo, after closing the door, silently walked down the corridor – Jongdae couldn’t quite tear his gaze away from the shrinking figure, which completely disappeared the moment Kyungsoo turned to go down the stairs.

It took a mention of his name for Jongdae to return to the reality and find Minseok, standing with a concern look on his face, in front of him. The smile was still on Minseok’s face, yet it didn’t quite reach his large, round eyes. “Well, it’s fine if you wouldn’t c—”

“Minseok,” pushing his own body lightly, Jongdae uncrossed his ankles and straightened his posture, “Sorry. I mean, I’m not sure that I’ll be there because, well, partying really isn’t my thing… But thanks for inviting me.”

The other boy only shook his head lightly. “It’s okay, Jongdae,” disappointment was plain to see from the look reflected on Minseok’s eyes, but there was a relief inside Jongdae’s chest once he noticed that the beam stretching across Minseok’s lips was still as sincere. “See you tomorrow, I guess.” The boy turned around and left, trudging down the empty hallway showered by sunlight that invaded the space through the glass windows, its color burnt warmer as the evening crept closer.

Jongdae watched Minseok waved his hand for the last time and replied with the same gesture before he turned exactly to the same direction Kyungsoo headed to before. There was something unspoken lingering inside Jongdae’s mind from what he had witnessed with his own eyes, something in the way Minseok talked to him earlier, something he absorbed very quickly after a sudden realization that struck the shell of his head. Somehow, Baekhyun’s words during their lunch earlier seeped out from the recess of Jongdae’s memory, eventually settling inside his chest as something the boy could recognize as nothing but a determination only in an instance.

Because Baekhyun was wrong – because, of course, Jongdae had experienced _something quite like crushing on someone_. And perhaps, he could see _something_ bloom from the feeling he had developed for years once he finally gave it a try.

 

—

 

Despite the lack of words, the combination of confusion and curiosity clouding the surface of Junmyeon’s eyes was loud enough to voice any thoughts spinning inside the president’s head the next morning – the confusion arose first when he found Jongdae stand in front of the door before 7 and the curiosity grew after making sure that he didn’t ask his best friend to help him with the council’s work that day. Jongdae spared none of them any answer to sate Junmyeon even during their walk to school, merely flashing a quick smile before sliding the door closed after his best friend stepping into the student council room.

Junmyeon, however, didn’t give up easily – his head emerged from the gap between the door he had slid open and the door frame, his eyebrows were knitted in a frown. “Dae, wha—”

Rummaging through his backpack, the bronze-haired boy pulled out the extra sandwich his mother had wrapped with aluminum foil before he left his house. Without diverting his gaze away from the food, Jongdae answered, “Let’s say I’m testing out my luck, Joon. Unless the room for class 12-A somewhat has been moved to the other corner of this building and I’m the only one who know nothing about it.” He checked the time – it was still 7.18 A.M.

There was still enough time.

“What do you mean with trying out your luck? And what’s with class 12-A?” The frown crumpling Junmyeon’s forehead deepened along with the growing puzzlement inside his head. But when all he got from his best friend was nothing but the sight of Jongdae’s chin moving up and down as the boy chewed his food, a sigh of defeat finally made its way out of the president’s lungs. “Whatever, Dae. I’ll see you later.”

And the silence returned, reclaiming its space in the empty hallway. From his spot, Jongdae was served with the almost unending view of the front yard seen from the third floor – it was empty, although the male knew that it took no more than 30 minutes for the students to swarm the place. He stole another glance at his phone to check the time – ten minutes had passed while Jongdae finished his second breakfast and the aluminum foil soon landed without a sound inside the nearest trash bin.

Jongdae had been hanging around the student council room ever since Junmyeon became a member, and the visit had become more frequent once his best friend was elected as the president last autumn. Arriving at school early and leaving the building late almost every day had become a routine, although Jongdae had never been an official member of the council – part of it was Junmyeon’s insistence to get him involved in any school activity, and the other one was nothing but to keep himself occupied during his free time. After all, Baekhyun was right; aside from going to school and studying, Jongdae barely had anything else to do.

It was faint, but the quiet settling in the corridor had echoed the noise of footsteps. Jongdae turned his head, his gaze quickly found where the sound came from. The timing, of course, was _perfect_ – greeting each other with a brief ‘good morning’ had eventually become a routine too ever since Junmyeon made Jongdae follow him to go to school earlier than most students did.

When the other figure slowly grew bigger, Jongdae tried to push his fringes away from his face only to no avail as the strands kept falling down, scattered across his forehead perhaps messily. _I better cut them soon_ , the boy scrunched his nose before blowing out a huff of air from his mouth, watching the bronze hair flutter lightly. And once he directed his gaze to Kyungsoo, who was giving him a familiar friendly stare Jongdae had grown used to see almost every morning, a doubt suddenly emerged from the deepest corner inside his chest.

 _What if he says no?_ Jongdae shifted the center of his gravity to his left leg as his fingers tugged the hem of his blazer, perhaps a little too tightly. _And what if I’ll end up embarrassing myself? Should I wait for a better time?_ The questions, of course, received no answer once they bounced from the wall inside his mind.

But something, however, had made its presence known the moment Kyungsoo’s name slipped out of Jongdae’s lips, even without Jongdae noticing first. When the glint of the dark surface on Kyungsoo’s orbs fell into Jongdae’s vision, the latter only knew that it was already far too late to flee to and hide inside the confinement of the student council room, where Junmyeon’s lingering curiosity would have been a matter a lot easier to handle.

“Jongdae? Are you okay?” The male tilted his head, there was worry on the big eyes of his. “What is it?”

“Oh,” the said boy blinked and felt that his mouth open, but nothing went past between the lips.

Kyungsoo’s bushy eyebrows inched upwards, yet the absence of response was still what he received. Jongdae watched the lips parted for a moment before they stretched to draw a smile – a smile so wide that it casted wrinkles around the narrowed eyes. “Well, good morning, I g—”

“Kyungsoo, I want to take you out for a date this weekend.”

 

 


End file.
